Delhi-Leh-Delhi Road Trip Day 1
We had been planning it for a while. One day we said “Let’s do it!”, the road trip to heaven, in August 2014. I know I’ve been late in documenting it but better late than never, right? Let me start with the basics.
Which car did we take? A Maruti Swift.
How many people? Me and my husband.
How many days? 13. Lucky figure, You!
Itinerary? Here you go.
Day 1: Delhi-Chandigarh
Day 2: Chandigarh-Pathankot-Udhampur-Patnitop
Day 3: Patnitop-Srinagar-Sonmarg
Day 4: Sonmarg-Dras -Kargil -Lamayuru -Leh
Day 5: Leh City
Day 6: Leh -Pangong Tso-Leh
Day 7: Leh -Khardung La -Diskit
Day 8: Diskit-Turtuk-Diskit
Day 9: Diskit- Khardung La -Leh
Day 10: Leh City
Day 11: Leh- Keylong
Day 12: Keylong-Rohtang Pass-Manali -Bilaspur
Day 13: Bilaspur-Chandigarh-Delhi
Day 1: Delhi-Chandigarh
While most of the day went in packing, we could only flag off in evening. We had to be extra careful because we knew it was just the two of us, double checking every item we might need. We would be driving for days in an unknown terrain mostly without any help at our disposal.
Things we packed:
Portable air pump
Power bank
Postpaid SIM card (Airtel or BSNL)
Spirit, in case there was ice on windshield
Car seat backrest (it was going to be long drive)
Windcheaters
Rope
Oxygen Cans (for high altitudes like Pangong Tso)
Swiss knife
Empty petrol cans (for the 400 km stretch with no petrol pump. More on that later)
Funnel
Sunscreen
Extra pair of sports shoes
Warm clothing
Day 1 was mostly putting every thing in the car and heading to Chandigarh. Delhi-Chandigarh is typically a 4–5 hours drive (260 Kms). We reached around 11 PM. We had a home to stay and slept as soon as we reached as tomorrow was going to be a long day.
